OBJECTS OF ROTATION
Ceramics have played a crucial role in the history of innovation and in the evolution of human progress. Understanding this role in relationship to its place in the home with vessels and stoves, in the development of machinery and industry through the production of the kiln and potter’s wheel, and its role in architecture from the primitive hut to the curvilinear forms of Antonio Gaudi, the Object of Rotation project strives to continue this evolution by providing new design opportunities and digital tools for the production of ceramics. The project brings together the contradictory qualities of perceived digital control with those of a process that has traditionally been dependent of human touch, sensitivity, and innate responsiveness to material production and craft. It also strives to provide an opportunistic approach to design research by exploring the potential of ceramics as a malleable material and by integrating ceramic traditions and tools with automated strategies and robotic technology. Through the integration of the ancient craft of throwing with the precision and control of digital production, the project seeks to not only establish a connection between craft based processes and digital fabrication techniques, but also strives to provide design opportunities through the development of new production tools and approaches.
Project Team: Jili Huang, Saurabh Mhatre, and Isaac Smith